An ad hoc wireless network is a self-organizing network in which network devices themselves establish communication links with one another. Ad hoc wireless networks may be used in different settings. For example, an ad hoc wireless network may be established between monitoring and control devices and a host computer.
There are numerous issues involved in establishing and maintaining an ad hoc wireless network, not the least of which is power consumption. Network devices on an ad hoc wireless network typically run off of batteries, which must be checked and changed periodically. Changing batteries frequently can be inconvenient, particularly in cases where nodes of the wireless network include numerous small devices located in hard-to-reach areas.
Other issues relating to establishing and maintaining an ad hoc wireless network include, but are not limited to, delays in establishing the ad hoc wireless network, network traffic congestion resulting in poor data throughput, and data collisions caused by various devices trying to transmit data in (or around) a same time slot.